


Lean on Me

by thirdeyeopen



Series: An Alien's Guide To Friendship and Stuff [3]
Category: Invader Zim
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, ZADF, clone!Dib, rated T for mild swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-18
Updated: 2019-10-18
Packaged: 2020-12-22 17:50:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21080633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thirdeyeopen/pseuds/thirdeyeopen
Summary: When Dib's life comes crashing down because of more than one issue, his newfound friendship with Zim comes in handy.Dib deserves to be happy.





	Lean on Me

How long has it been since he’s been here? Two weeks? Three? 

The chilly October breeze sweeps over Dib’s skin as he stops at the gap in the fence. Staring down the pavement leading to Zim’s base feels both surreal and wrong, but it’s not like there’s any turning back. He’d already packed his stuff, anyway. And if he stood there staring for too long, Zim would probably come out and question him. He might even be staring already. 

Dib takes a deep breath, readjusts the backpack straps on his shoulders, and walks. 

Eyes sweep over the garden gnomes still perfectly lined up in the lawn. Dib has no reason to fear them anymore; Zim disables them every time he knows the human is on his way. He always imagined them doing something creepy like turning around to watch him as he passed, proving they were sentient and couldn’t be deactivated. But so far, it hadn’t happened. 

Dib reaches the front door unharmed, standing on the steps and staring at the purple wood. He tentatively curls a fist and raps it on the door, waiting tensely for any action from inside the house.

Not even five seconds later, the door peels open to reveal Zim, out of his skool disguise. He isn't beaming, or even remotely happy. He just looks concerned.

Dib realizes with a start that he probably looks sad. He straightens his posture, lifting his shoulders just as Zim steps aside to let him into the house.

"Come on." The Irken says softly as Dib passes him, before he shuts the door and follows Dib inside.

Dib always expects something to have been changed when he comes here; everything else in his life is constantly doing it, so this? But the living room of Zim's base is still decorated exactly the same. Dib stares down the monkey painting on the wall above the couch as he heads to sit down.

Gir is curled up on the couch, wearing his dogsuit and snoozing away. Dib had only ever seen the little robot sleeping twice before then, but this was the first time he'd ever worn his suit. Dib settles carefully onto the couch, careful not to disturb Gir. He'd rather not have another headache from the bot's screaming. 

"I don't want to talk about it." Dib mutters suddenly, stopping Zim (literally) in his tracks. The Irken's antennae droop as he studies Dib's expression; the way the human stares at the floor, eyes half-lidded and sad, just feels wrong. Dib was like this a lot, but it was still  _ wrong.  _

Wordlessly, Zim turns his attention to the kitchen. If only he had food to make for Dib… maybe that would help cheer him up. 

Sighing softly, Zim steps over to the couch, sliding down until he sits on the floor. Gir's in his spot anyways. Dib eyes the Irken for a moment before he, slowly and carefully, moves to sit on the floor, too.

They don't look at each other anymore after that. Zim opts for picking invisible lint off his uniform, while Dib wraps his arms around himself, bringing his knees up to his chest and closing his eyes. 

"...How about now?" Zim asks quietly. 

Dib's eyes shut tighter and he flinches, like someone waiting to be struck. His thoughts were eating him up. He'd never had anybody to vent to before. The human opens his eyes again, staring off in the direction of the door. After a few more seconds of consideration, he turns his head back, sighs, and begins. 

"Gaz asked Dad if she could get emancipated." He said softly, staring at his shoes as he explained. "She wants to move out." 

Confusion floods Zim, who tilts his head down and runs the thought over and over. Wasn't Gaz only, like, 14? Didn't human smeets have to be 18 to move out?

As if sensing his lack of understanding, Dib continues to explain, though he wishes he didn't have to.

"When someone gets emancipated, which is what Gaz wants to do… they legally become an adult, even before they're eighteen. They can move out, and separate from their parents, but they have to have a job and a place to stay and… Gaz has that waiting for her. All she has to do is take it to court. Dad's already given her the okay." 

He sounds defeated, like every word is a struggle. He still can't believe this is happening; they had fights like siblings did, but he  _ loved  _ Gaz. He was already alone enough with Dad never there. He didn't need this.

Zim sat in baffled silence, trying to comprehend why anybody would let this happen. All Gaz did was play video games and be angry. Did she really know how to be an adult? 

"There's more." Dib mutters glumly, pushing the debate out of Zim's focus. "I got mad at Dad for giving Gaz permission to move out, so I snuck into his lab to look for things to steal… but then I got to searching, and I found some documents, a-and…" 

Zim watches Dib ball his hands into fists, a foreboding feeling filling him as he waits for Dib to continue. He was nowhere near prepared for what he heard next.

"I'm a clone." Dib said, his voice breaking as he seemed to force the words out. "A  _ fake. _ I found studies, I found  _ records… _ I'm not real. And I don't think Gaz is, either." 

The silence was meant to let the information sink in, but Zim's mind is still reeling. First Gaz will be moving out at 14. Now they're not even  _ real  _ humans?! 

Maybe this was all a dream. Maybe he'd wake up and go to Skool and tell Dib of the funny little dream where he said he was a clone. Maybe this fear in his gut was only temporarily; maybe they could laugh at this later. 

But it wasn't a dream. 

Irkens barely slept. They  _ never  _ dreamt.

"We're not real kids. All we are are his-his  _ stupid fucking science projects!"  _

Dib had never cussed before. Zim looks up to see the human glaring at the floor now, speaking through gritted, angry teeth. 

"He  _ lied _ to us. He said we- we had a mother, but that she didn't want us. He said she left after she had Gaz, he-he said we were  _ his  _ kids, but-! We got here through a-! WE WERE MADE IN A  _ FUCKING  _ TUBE!" _ _

Tears. Zim perks up in alarm as he sees them, suddenly all cascading down the human's face at once. Dib chokes out a sob, the glare only intensifying as his vision blurs in the water. 

But in only a second, the glare breaks. His eyebrows push upwards, his grit teeth pulling apart and his mouth staying open to let the sobs out. 

"He could have told us!" The human wails. "But he didn't care! He didn't care!!" Shaking fingers find their way to his hair, and Dib clutches at it like its a lifeboat, tugging at it in a frenzy as his grief continues. "He doesn't care about  _ me,  _ he doesn't care about  _ Gaz,  _ he-! All he cares about is  _ work!  _ He always has!" _ _

Out of the corner of his eye, Zim sees Gir on the couch, very much awake and very much alarmed. Both of them seem like they don't know what to do; normally Gir would break out in tears and cry as well, but he's silent. 

This is all so wrong. 

"I thought-!" Dib chokes out, his voice cutting off as he breaks into a series of coughs. "I thought that things were getting better! That us becoming friends, would mean things wouldn't  _ screw up so much!"  _ Dib raises his head to the sky, throwing his hands out in front of him as if gesturing to something and continuing to wail. " _ But here we are!  _ My sister's moving out and I've been lied to my whole life!" 

As soon as he says it, realization seems to hit him like a truck. He gives a shrill inhale, holding his arms out in place as he stares out at the wall. For a second, it looks like he's spaced out. But then he breaks. 

His arms slam back down again, his hands falling into his lap. Dib slumps against the couch, his teary eyes reflecting realization and defeat. 

Moments pass, and Dib just sits there and lets the tears fall.

His next words are so frail and quiet that they seem to have no strength in them.

"Why me…?" 

Zim watches as Dib brings his knees back up to his chest, burying his face into them. A few sniffles later, the human begins to sob again, but it's quieter this time. More miserable. 

Zim sits there in silence, watching his friend's shoulders shake. He needs to know he's cared about, but what's appropriate in this situation? A hug? Would a hug be okay? 

The Irken reaches a hand out, first choosing to gently rub lines on Dib's back. The contact is noticed, but Dib gives no further reaction, nor objection. So Zim carefully scoots closer, his one arm moving to drape over Dib's shoulder. 

Dib collapses against him, startling the Irken, but he doesn't pull away. His bends his hand at the wrist so that he's hugging Dib with one arm. The human curls up a bit, still hiding his face.

His sobs are weaker now. So quickly. 

Zim hears him take a few shaky breaths, and they slowly get longer and longer. Zim feels his friend's body relaxing through the exercise, and wants to encourage it, but can't bring himself to say anything. 

Hands are in his hair soon; Gir has chosen to do  _ something _ , at least, even if it's just cradling the human's head. The hood of his dog suit is pulled down to reveal the robot's worried face underneath. Zim briefly thinks of how rare a moment this is. What he wouldn't give for this to never happen again.

Dib shivers like he would in the winter. There's a pause, but then he's sitting up. Zim retracts his arm, dropping it limply at his side as he stares at his friend. Is everything okay now…? 

Dib reaches up, wiping his palm over the wet space under his right eye and sniffling. 

"I'm sorry." He says softly, after going at the other eye as well. "I didn't mean to freak out on you, Zim. And I'm sorry you had to see that." 

_ Sorry for what? _ Zim thinks, but chooses not to ask that. Instead, he asks, his eyes full of concern, "Do you feel any better…?" 

Dib nods, clearing his throat to soften the lump. "Just a little. But I think… Gir wants to turn on the TV." 

At the subject change, Zim looks back at the aforementioned robot. He has the remote in his hand, his "paw" hovering over the power button, eyes staring at his master in a silent request for permission. 

A bit shocked, Zim gives a curt nod, seeing Gir press the power button and hearing the tv flick on behind him. He turns his head back to see  _ The Scary Monkey Show _ . Gir, seeming to be returning to his normal self, gives a loud screech of delight and shouts the show's name in glee.

Zim turns his attention back to Dib, who has his eyes on the tv, trying to distract himself with whatever the heck  _ The Scary Monkey Show  _ even is. After a moment of staring, Zim slouches, relaxing, before his eyes find their way to the tv, too.

They're having a "sleepover". Dib will be here a while.

If watching  _ The Scary Monkey Show _ makes him happy (it does rouse a chuckle out of him; Zim hears it), then they're going to watch  _ The Scary Monkey Show.  _

Because Dib deserves to be happy.

**Author's Note:**

> That was SAD! But it was also sweet! I enjoyed writing this one. Fluff is coming back, I PROMISE!!! JUST STAY TUNED!! 
> 
> If you enjoyed, comments and kudos are appreciated (as usual)! Yadda yadda yadda, you guys know the drill. Love you!!


End file.
